2019 World Car Of The Year Candidates Announced – Entire List Inside

Nissan India Kicks Crossover

The contenders for 2019 World Car Of The Year will undergo different levels of testing before 85 international judges give their verdict

Last time around, Volvo XC60 took the honours as World Car of the Year and the contenders for next year have now been officially revealed. To have a clear differentiation, the awards will be presented in five categories namely World Car of the Year, World Luxury Car of the Year, World Performance Car of the Year, World Green Car of the Year, and World Urban Car of the Year.

All the shortlisted cars from across the globe will undergo different levels of testing with 85 international juries having a close watch at their performance to determine the winner in each class. The 2019 WCOTY awards’ winners will be announced at next year’s New York Auto Show in April.

In each category, many contenders appear to be closely matched on paper and a handful of others including Audi e-tron and next-gen BMW 3-Series have not even been commercially launched. A few fresh faces fledging their wings across the globe are also on the list, making the evaluation process highly interesting.

For the main World Car of the Year category, the shortlisted cars include Nissan Kicks, which is based on a different platform compared to the upcoming India-spec version, and the Volvo XC40 that made its market entry into India in July 2018. Some of the upcoming launches in India featured are Audi e-tron, Audi Q3, BMW 3-Series and Jeep Wrangler with possibilities of Citroen C5 Aircross, Jaguar E-Pace and Hyundai Nexo.

Hyundai-Nexo-SUV-FCV-1

In the 2019 World Luxury Car of the Year category, Audi A7, Audi Q8, BMW 8 Series, Mercedes-Benz GLE and Volkswagen Touareg will be evaluated. Over to the World Performance Car of the Year, Aston Martin Vantage, BMW M2 Competition, Hyundai Veloster N, Kia Ceed GT and McLaren 720S are in the hunt.

The World Green Car of the Year category has garnered increased attention due to the auto industry’s rapid transformation towards electrified vehicles. Audi e-tron, BMW i8 Roadster, Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid, Honda Insight, Hyundai Nexo, Jaguar I-Pace, Kia Niro EV, Lexus ES Hybrid, Lexus UX Hybrid, Toyota Avalon Hybrid and Toyota RAV4 Hybrid are vying for the coveted award.

The 2019 World Urban Car of the Year class has highly capable contenders like Audi A1, India-bound BMW X2, Kia Soul, Seat Arona and Suzuki Jimny.